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Taking action against untrustworthy veterans' charities

To inform the public of misleading veterans' charities, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) Wise Giving Alliance joined with the Federal Trade Commission, state Attorneys General and state charity regulators in Washington, DC.

According to a recent news release, enforcement actions against untrustworthy veterans' charities were announced on July 19.

"Americans have a strong interest in supporting charitable organizations helping veterans or active duty service members," said H. Art Taylor, president and CEO, BBB Wise Giving Alliance, "which is why it is particularly disheartening that we hear about recent government actions that identified misleading appeals from charities that claimed to help our service members. As with any charity appeal, we urge donors to exercise caution and check out organizations before making a giving decision."

The BBB Wise Giving Alliance, which is responsible for evaluating and verifying nationally-soliciting charities, listed 26 accredited veterans and military service charities in the news release, including USO, Wounded Warrior Project and the Gary Sinise Foundation.

Donors choosing a charity are advised to be cautious of inconsistencies in charity names and missions, be aware of telemarketers and refer to the 20 BBB Standards for Charity Accountability.